World In Between
by NekoNekoMinako
Summary: The mind is a powerful thing: it can distort reality, and bring back memories you wish you never had. As a curse places Aerrow's mind in another dimension, can the other Storm Hawks save him?
1. Prologue

MJ: Alright, so this is another horror-story from my desk...I want you to read it...You are under my spell...You will read...

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Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks.

Prologue: A World Between

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Many people speak of other universes, parallel worlds to our own, but there are those who do not believe...They feel that everything can be explained in a logical way, and that there is no such thing as "magic." This is where many people are wrong, though...So many things cannot be explained - miracles, for example...

This is normally where I come in. My name is Karen, and I am a psychic - I can find the barriers between our world and the realms so close to our own, yet different at the same time. People ask me to contact their deceased loved ones, find out what is causing supernatural phenomena around their homes, and sometimes tell their future. Yet, as always, there are those who think I am wrong, that I cannot see these things...I will show them, using one, young man - a Sky Knight, to be exact...He will be the one that will become the example for everyone else...

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Aerrow rolled his eyes in boredom - Piper had her friend Karen on the Condor, and she could apparently see the future. Karen said she was a psychic, and all of the others (Radarr included) believed her...but not Aerrow. He knew there wasn't any "spirits" or "alternate realms" out there, and why his squadron believed her was beyond him; it was just some bogus stuff that had no real truth in it.

"Interesting...The Six of Wands..." Karen said as she flipped over a Tarot card, reading Finn's future. "It is in the Dignified position, which means triumph, victory, success." she continued, a demure smile on her face; Finn looked totally happy as she finished his fortune. "Aerrow? Would you like me to tell your future?"

"No thanks." Aerrow said rather crossly, still leaning against the wall away from the group. Everybody turned to look at him.

"Aerrow, you sure? It might be pretty interesting." Piper stated, everybody else nodding. Aerrow's glare silenced anything else that was to be said.

"I said no, Piper. And besides, how can you really believe what she says?" the red-head asked quite coldly.

"Pardon?" Karen questioned, shuffling her deck of Tarot cards.

"You heard me - there's no guarantee that what you say is what will really happen. You might say I'll win against Dark Ace in three days, when in reality it'll take three years to do so. You could say everybody is going to die from a horrible crash, but everybody would instead live despite your predictions." Aerrow snapped, green eyes flashing in anger as he stared at Karen.

"I can speak to the spirits, Aerrow - my predictions alway come true." the psychic said calmly, her face showing no signs of anger or fear.

"Spirits, huh? And tell me - who's to say these "spirits" are just something you came up with?" the Sky Knight asked.

"You do not believe, Aerrow, and that shall be your downfall someday." Karen stated calmly as she rose from her seat, walking over to Aerrow.

"Why are you..." Aerrow was cut off by Karen's next words.

"By tomorrow morning, your mind shall cease to exist - your body will remain in the Land of the Living, while you travel to the realm between. That is your fate, and so it shall be, for the spirits have declared it set in stone." Karen said, her voice taking on a more chilling tone - everybody in the room felt a chill go down their spine...

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MJ: Oh my...Something's gonna happen to Aerrow...This can't be good, now can it? Stay tuned for the first chapter...Now, all of you who are under my spell...Press the "Submit Review" button...


	2. Chapter 1

MJ: So, here's the first chapter...Enjoy, fellow fans of the darkness.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks, but any character not normally there is mine.

Chapter One: Warnings

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Karen apparently wasn't kidding - the next morning, Aerrow wasn't found where he usually was, which was the bridge. He was always the first one up in the morning, and now it was an hour past the time Finn got up, since he was always last.

"Think Karen was right?" Junko asked, a bit frightened at what could've happened. Oioer was about to answer when Radarr dashed onto the bridge, squawking and pointing in the direction of Aerrow's quarters.

"Something's up - look at Radarr!" Finn exclaimed, running off. He screamed at what he found, which set the others into motion. They were all horrified at what they saw - Aerrow was lying on his bed, eyes wide and glazed, stiff as a board. He was still alive, though, as was evident from the slight movement of his chest...Other than that, there was no movement, not even a blink of an eye or the twitch of a finger.

"Oh god...she was right..." Piper stated before passing out; Finn caught her before she could hit her head on the floor.

"How could...How could this happen?" Finn questioned nobody in particular.

"He did not believe, and so they punished him." a voice came from behind the group. They turned to find Karen standing there. Handing Piper over to Stork, Finn grabbed Karen by the front of her shirt.

"What the hell have you done to him, you bitch?!?!" Finn shouted.

"I have done nothing - it is the spirits. My body is a pathway for them to travel, and they told me what to tell him. But that is not why I am here." Karen said, still as calm as ever.

"Then why are you here?" Junko asked.

"The spirits have told me you are allowed to try and find him...His mind has been sent to the World In Between - a realm that is neither dead nor living." Karen replied as Finn let go of her...

-- With Aerrow --

Aerrow groaned as he woke up, finding that he was not in his room anymore, but in a dark cell. He stood up, looking for any sort of door or window; the only one he found was a window four yards above him, so it definitely wouldn't be of any help.

'Dammit...was Karen right about that? No...She was lying...' Aerrow thought, glaring up at the window - a full moon was evident from the bright glow coming through it.

"So, you're awake..." a voice said, causing Aerrow to turn around. Behind him stood, not a darkened wall like it once was, but a room. On the bed in this room was a young woman with brown hair and red eyes

"Who are you?" he asked, not looking the girl in the eyes. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to look at her face.

"My name is Autumn." she replied, walking over to him. Aerrow felt himself tense up - he didn't know what she could do, what she WOULD do. "Come, Aerrow, won't you join me?"

"W-W-Why should I?" Aerrow questioned, fear taking over him. He made one mistake though - he looked into her eyes. Instantly he fell unconscious, falling onto the floor.

"Because until further notice...This is where you will reside." Autumn said, raising her hand a bit. By some unseen force, Aerrow's body was lifted up. Moving her hand again, he was moved to the bed. Autumn followed, sitting down next to him afterwards...

-- With the others --

"Karen, what exactly will we see there?" Piper, who had recently woken up, asked, a bit frightened by her friend's explanation of this alternate world.

"If you are just going there for some reason, you will find it's quite the charming place...But, if you go with the intent of findng someone, the world reflects that person's mind - it replays the person's memories, creates people based off the person's mind...In all likelihood, Aerrow's mind would be relfected everywhere you went." Karen replied.

"And this would be bad...why?" Stork questioned, his normal paranoia fading just a bit.

"How much do you know of Aerrow's past?" Karen asked, looking at all the Storm Hawks - her reply was silence. "You know nothing of him?"

"All we really know is that his dad led the original Storm Hawks...that's all...He never talks about his childhood." Finn answered.

"This is why it could be bad - if you know nothing of what is in his subconscious, then you will find out things you may wish you never learned of in the first place...Things about him that would change how you view him. Yet, if you are all sure you wish to find him..."

"We're positive, Karen - he's not only our captain, he's our friend...We're going to help him, no matter what." Piper said sternly.

"I can see you will not be swayed. Very well - I shall help you to the World in Between...You shall only return once you find him, no sooner." Karen stated.

"Had no intention to leave without him, anyway..." Finn murmured, a bit nervous about this, but willing to do anything to help his friend.

"Then prepare yourselves well - we shall begin in one hour." Karen said calmly, her words leaving on room for argument...

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MJ: So, Karen isn't so bad, after all...And what are these secrets that the Storm Hawks will find out about their leader? Stay tuned to find out.


	3. Chapter 2

MJ: Alright, here's the second chapter...Secrets will be revealed, and perhaps more than that, as well...

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Disclaimer: Read Chapter 1's disclaimer, cause it's the same here.

Chapter Two: Memories of Childhood

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The Storm Hawks were now in the World In Between, looking at the odd landscape - trees that seemed they could come alive at any moment, twin moons in the sky, darkness everywhere...

"This place looks like it came out of a horror movie..." Finn muttered, looking around at the spooky place.

"Karen said the World In Between reflects the mind of the person we're looking for, which is Aerrow..." Piper said, wondering what could've made Aerrow's subconscious like this.

"Must've had a rough past, no?" a voice said from the tree above them. Looking up, they say a hooded figure with a scythe.

"Woah, woah, woah, the Spirit of Death resides in Aerrow's brain?" Stork asked, shuddering at the sight. The figure laughed, the sound feminine and charming, not at all deadly.

"Close! I'm Sarah, Death's apprentice!" the girl said, floating out of the tree and in front of the group. Pushing her hood back, she revealed bright blue eyes and long brown hair, and many runes were inscribed on her skin. "Now, I take it you're looking for Aerrow?" Sarah asked, once again startling the teens.

"Yes, we are. You know where he is?" Piper asked hoepfully.

"All around you - you ARE seeing what's in his mind, after all...but his true consciousness is not here with us right now...My suggestion is the old mansion. Perhaps you'll find something there." Sarah replied before fading out of view, no trace she'd ever been there. The Storm Hawks looked at each other, then headed off to find this "old mansion" Sarah spoke of...

They knew exactly when they had found it, and it was everything the name hinted at - huge, falling in at places, cold, dark, dreary. Hesitantly, they made their way to the door, taking note of the dead and brown grass in the yard, the gate falling from its hinges.

"What exactly does Sarah expect us to find in here?" Junko asked, quite frightened by this place. As they opened the door, a light enveloped them - they were viewing one of Aerrow's memories...

_"Dad!! You're home!!" a young Aerrow, no more than six or seven, squealed, tackling his dad, who had just returned from a mission with the Storm Hawks._

_"I said I'd be back, didn't I?" the man chuckled, ruffling his son's bright red hair. Aerrow's father looked up to see a woman coming out of the kitchen. "Aelita...I'm home."_

_"I can see that, Seth." Aelita laughed, walking over - it was easy to see where Aerrow got the green eyes from. She continued laughing when Aerrow dragged him over, eager to show him something..._

The Storm Hawks were silent at this point, as the vision had ended - all that remained was an empty, dilapidated entry way. Cobwebs hung in random places, some furniture was either falling apart or tipped over. A picture hung on the wall - Aerrow and his parents; the glass was cracked, and the frame was lopsided. They moved to the next room, where another memory was played...

_Aerrow was sitting at the top of the stairs - he was supposed to be in bed, but he wanted to hear what his father was going to say about his mission._

_"Seth, you must be kidding! Ace wouldn't do such a thing!" Aelita said, her hand covering her mouth in shock._

_"I understand how you feel, but...Everytime I look at him, I can't help but wonder...Something's changed, and I just don't know what..." Seth stated._

_"Still, we both know he wouldn't do such a thing...There'd be too much to risk to do something like that." the woman said softly._

_"Aelita...I'm not saying he will; that's just the feeling I get from him...I just hope he doesn't try to kill us..." the man stated, looking quite saddened. Aerrow froze in his position on the stairs - his dad thought Ace would kill him? There was no way he'd do that. Ace was his dad's squad-mate, and people on the same squadron didn't hurt each other..._

"Aerrow was wrong...Ace did hurt his squad members..." a voice said from behind them. Turning, they were met with a purple-haired spirit. "I am Meryl...Please, do not mind me - I became lost, and was caught in the vision."

"Oh...Um, do you want any help?" Finn asked, a bit startled because he was talking with a ghost.

"No, no, I do not wish to be any trouble...Just carry on as if I was never here. Good-bye." Meryl said before passing through the wall. The Storm Hawks went up the stairs, seeing more pictures of Aerrow and one or both of his parents. Eventually, they reached a room, light pouring out from the crack under the door.

"A light's on? In this old place? Certain doom..." Stork warned. Nobody listened to him, and Piper opened the door...They were met with the sight of a freshly-painted room, done in varying shades of pinks and purples. Shelves lined with dolls and stuffed animals were dotted throughout the room, and other things within suggested this was a girl's room. Sure enough, sitting on the bed was a young girl. Her legs dangled off the side of the bed, her long silver hair was pulled into pigtails, and on her lap sat a teddy bear - the bear looked as if it had been sewn back together multiple times, but what really got the Storm Hawks was the knife sewn to its hand.

"Who are you?" the girl asked, her large, purple eyes staring right at them.

"We're...looking for somebody...Have you seen a person with red hair and green eyes named Aerrow?" Finn asked, a bit freaked out by the girl.

"Teddy and I haven't seen anybody in ages...Right, Teddy?" the girl asked the stuffed bear. "Did he run away from home or something?"

"In a way, yes..." Piper replied. The girl was silent. "Can you tell us your name?"

"Dawne! And this is Teddy!" the girl answered cheerfully, holding the bear out as if to introduce it.

"So, you're Dawne...and he is Teddy?" Junko questioned, looking between the two.

"Yup yup yup! Hey, you wanna hear something? My mommy told it to me long ago." Dawne said, swinging her legs back and forth.

"Sure, let's hear it." Finn stated, thinking it couldn't be anything bad.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall..." she stopped, and the room started looking like it was shifting. "Show them who's most scariest of all!" And with that, the room turned into a nightmare - the dolls on the shelves started floating out at the Storm Hawks, hands came from the walls and the ceiling, the mirror just beside the girl shattered, the pieces floating around like lightning bugs, and throughout it all, Dawne was laughing cheerfully, as if she was enjoying this. The floor beneath them suddenly disappeared, and the Storm Hawks found themselves falling into an abyss, the young girl's laughter following them down...

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MJ: Cliffhanger! You won't know what happens until the next chapter!!


	4. Chapter 3

MJ: Chapter three...Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: Don't own Storm Hawks...

Chapter Three: A Secret Worth Keeping

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Boy, were the Storm Hawks glad when they landed from their fall. Never again did they want to see that creepy girl and her bear, and they had good reasons for this, too.

"Okay, that child has problems..." Finn muttered, standing up. The others mumbled some form of agreement as they, too, stood from their places on the ground. They found themselves in front of another house, smaller, and it looked like somebody had actually lived in it recently. They heard voices from inside - one sounded like the young Aerrow's from the memories.

"Let's check it out." Piper stated as they all moved closer. Peering through the windows, they all gasped - it was Aerrow and his aunt, which meant it was after his parents' deaths, but what they saw was...horrific: Aerrow was bruised and bleeding, and his aunt was punching him, claiming it was his fault her life was the way it was. The young red-head had tears streaming down his face, pleading for the woman to stop it.

"Aerrow was...abused?" Finn asked softly, cerulean eyes wide as Aerrow was hit in the jaw by his aunt's hand.

"Surprising, isn't it?" a voice said from behind them. Turning, they saw Sarah standing there, her face set in a grim expression.

"You knew of this?" Junko asked, managing to turn his gaze from the scene inside the house.

"I reside in this world - I know everything that goes on each second...You are seeing something of your captain's past he does not want others to know..." Sarah replied, blue eyes glancing through the window.

"Why is his aunt hitting him like that?!" Piper asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"She thinks his mother is the reason she lives like this, all because his mother married her brother - his father...And now that they're both dead, his aunt feels it's his mother's fault again, which means it's his fault as well...She doesn't care that he doesn't know why she hits him like this, all that matters to her is how she feels she's "avenging" her brother's death." Sarah answered.

"Aerrow's aunt sees his mom in him, and so she hates him for it..." Finn whispered, the scene inside getting worse, as was evident from the screams and cries coming from Aerrow.

"Exactly - Aerrow is part of both parents, but his aunt doesn't see that...She only sees his mother in him." Sarah stated, before sighing. "It gets worse later on..." Sarah said, moving her hand a bit. The scene moved on a few years ahead - Aerrow was sitting at the table, staring at his food, his aunt on the other side of the table from him...

_"Why aren't you eating, boy?" his aunt asked, glaring at him._

_"Not hungry..." Aerrow replied, not looking up at the woman._

_"Feh, you can eat the crap they serve at the Sky Knight Academy, but you can't eat your aunt's cooking?" she questioned._

_"At least the food there I can trust won't possibly contain poison..." Aerrow muttered, picking up his fork and toying with some of it._

_"What did you say?"_

_"Nothing, ma'am..." Aerrow said, putting his fork down again. He still refused to look at the woman._

_"No, you said something. Tell me what it was." Aerrow's aunt demanded._

_"I don't have to tell you anything." Aerrow said, green eyes showing his anger._

_"That does it - I knew sending you to that place wouldn't do you any good. I'm taking you out of there."_

"No you aren't!!" Aerrow shouted, standing up suddenly, his chair falling back.

_"You'll learn some respect, boy." his aunt growled, moving over to him with her fist ready to punch him. Without even thinking, Aerrow grabbed his knife and plunged it into her chest._

Everyone froze as the knife went into the woman - Aerrow had killed his own aunt.

"He was ten when that happened - four years ago." Sarah stated, watching the Storm Hawks carefully. She'd told them it was something he didn't want others to know...

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MJ: Aerrow's killed somebody before?! OMG!!! Please review and tell me what you think!!


	5. Chapter 4

MJ: So! Here is the fourth chapter! And, I would like to make it known, that I won't be updating as often - school is starting back up, and I have both English and French this term...Lots of homework in both, so the updates will be few and far between. Anywho, please enjoy.

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Disclaimer: I don't own the Storm Hawks, though Aerrow and Dark Ace visited for my b-day.

Chapter Four: The Cursed Forest

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It was much later, and the Storm Hawks were still freaking out from the last vision. They still couldn't bring themselves to believe that Aerrow had killed somebody before, much less that it was his own aunt. The group stopped outside a forest, a bit hesitant to go in.

"This place seems...creepy..." Finn muttered, looking around warily. It was true, the trees seemed to have faces almost, and an odd mist swirled through the branches.

"Still, we have to keep going...Aerrow needs us..." Piper whispered, carnelian eyes showing her determination. The boys knew they wouldn't be fighting her, and so they all headed in...

Hours later (or was it minutes? It was hard to tell.), they all admitted they were LOST. They'd seen that same, crazy rock formation at least thirty times now, and were sure it had burned into their brains by this point. This time, though, they thought they heard something on the other side of it. A sudden sight of bright, ruby red made them want to investigate. Looking over, they found something, or rather, someone...

"Aerrow?!" Finn asked excitedly, pulling the boy up. The red-head nodded, seeming a bit frightened.

"STOP!! GET AWAY FROM HIM!!" a voice shouted, and all of a sudden Finn and the others were knocked away from Aerrow by a cloaked figure. She suddenly threw a small sheet of paper at him - Aerrow let out a cry of pain as it hit him square in the chest.

"What the hell?!" Piper screamed. The figure said nothing, just did some odd seals with their hand. "Aerrow" turned out to be nothing more than an image.

"God, I hate Shades..." the person grumbled, sounding royally pissed off. "And you all..." they continued, twirling around to face the Storm Hawks. "Hasn't anybody ever told you to beware of the Cursed Forest?! This place is FILLED with Shades, and much worse if you're not careful!!" they said - it was now obvious the person was a girl.

"Shades?" Junko asked, a bit confused.

"Is that some sort of mental disease carrying bug?" Stork questioned, his paranoid tendencies coming back. The girl nearly fell back in shock.

"You don't know what Shades are?! Where in the hell have you been?! This place is almost literally CRAWLING with them!!" she exclaimed.

"We should probably explain our story..." Piper said, and with that the group began...

"So, you're here searching for Aerrow?" the girl asked after their explanation was finished. The Storm Hawks nodded in reply.

"That's right...And, we have to get through the forest to find him." Finn stated.

"Well, in return for explaining your situation to me, I should probably tell you about the Shades..." the girl said.

"Those creatures from before?" Piper asked.

"Exactly - the Shades are some of the worst creatures to deal with in this forest. They block the paths, disguised as trees, creating their own so they can probe your mind to find what you seek the most...Once they've figured that out, they take the shape of what you want, luring you into their trap...After that, you might as well be considered dead." the girl began, her voice seeming slightly disturbed. "That's where I come in...I've been assigned the task of helping people through the forest. See, I'm a priestess, so I can see through the Shades' deception. I can also tell where the other beings in this forest are - sirens, nagas, reanimated dead, tainted plants...And also the victims of these creatures...They suffer the worst fate of all..."

"What do you mean...they suffer the worst?" Stork asked, now completely freaked out by this place.

"Remember how I said there are reanimated dead? Anyone who falls prey to a creature of this place becomes one of them - a being who is neither dead nor living, and when they eventually succumb to this place, they become Shades, spirits who prey on the living to keep their own existence. Some are able to keep their personalities from when they were among the living, and those are the most dangerous, as they know everything about the psyche of the living...They can find the info they need quicker than the other Shades, and as such, it takes them less time to take a victim..." The Storm Hawks all felt a shudder go down their spines, glad this girl showed up when she did.

"Um, if you don't mind us asking...We haven't heard your name, or seen who you are..." Junko said.

"My name's Rhiannon. And, I'll warn you now, my appearance is a bit shocking to most." the girl said, removing her cloak. The others gasped - she had large cat ears, a tail, and tiger-like markings all over her skin.

"You're...A cat?" Finn asked.

"Cat-GIRL!!!" Rhia snapped, looking almost feral. She calmed down quickly enough, though. "Anyway, let's get you through this forest, ne?"

--Meanwhile, on the Condor...--

Karen sat next to Aerrow, hoping to all things the others succeeded. She gasped when Aerrow's body seemed to flicker a bit.

'Dammit! He's already losing to that place's curse?!' her mind screamed as she watched it happen again. Quickly, she tried to contact Autumn, who she knew had Aerrow with her...

--World In Between : Autumn's Palace--

Autumn gasped when she heard Karen's voice in her mind.

'Autumn, how is he doing? His body's flickering here in the Living World.' Karen's voice said. Autumn looked over, and saw that it was flickering here, too.

"It's doing the same here, Karen. He's...If his friends don't hurry, he will become a Shade...There's nothing we can do except hope they make it..."

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MJ: DUN DUN DUUNNNN!!! Aerrow's becoming a Shade?! Will the Storm Hawks make it in time?! Will they ever get out of the Cursed Forest?! Answers to at least one of these questions will be in the next chapter, so stay tuned!!


	6. Chapter 5

MJ: This chapter was typed while listening to Heaven's A Lie by Lacuna Coil. Just an FYI for all the readers!! Anywho, on with the story!!  
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Disclaimer: I don't own Storm Hawks...WIsh I did, but I don't.

Chapter Five: Tragic Hearts

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It took them a while, but eventually the group made it out of the Cursed Forest with, thanks to Rhiannon's help, relatively few encounters with any of its inhabitants.

"Well, here we are! You're out of the forest!" Rhiannon said enthusiastically, looking quite proud of herself now. The Storm Hawks ran ahead, and were kinda hoping she'd come with them. Looking back, they saw she wasn't following.

"Rhiannon, you can come with us if you want!" Piper shouted back to the cat-girl.

"Sorry, but my place is here, helping people through. Perhaps our paths shall cross again, though!! I hope you find your friend!!" Rhia said before leaping off into the forest, more than likely to help somebody else. The teens were sorry to see her go, but they knew she had a job to do, as did they right now...

-With Autumn and Aerrow-

"Karen, what do you mean, freeze his consciousness?! That could..." Autumn was cut off.

/Autumn, I know it could possibly kill him...But if it does, at least then his friends would have a body...If Aerrow becomes a Shade, his living form will cease to exist, meaning it will be gone...Which sounds better to you, if you were one of his friends - knowing your friend was dead and at least have something to give a proper burial to? Or find out he's become a Shade and will constantly prey on the living, despite what he might have wanted?/ Karen asked into Autumn's mind.

"You raise a valid point...Very well, I shall do it, but do not expect me to take all the blame if he dies before his friends get here." Autumn grumbled as she began the process, hopefully so the process would be stopped...

-With the Storm Hawks-

"A playground?" Piper asked nobody in particular. Sure enough, after walking a little from the forest, they had come across an old, abandoned playground. Finn tensed when he realized where this was.

"This...this place is...part of the park on Atmosia..." Finn whispered, his eyes wide. The others looked at him, confused at his words.

"Finn...You've been here before?" Junko asked.

"Yeah...Dad would bring me and Aer here to play when we were kids...Aerrow was almost always over when his dad was away, at least, until his dad was killed...Didn't see him much after that, since he went to his aunt's house to live...And we all know what happened there." Finn said softly, blue eyes seeming to darken a bit. "That swingset was where he told me we might not see each other for a while." As soon as he said that, a bright flash went through the area - another flashback, and it was one Finn remembered all too well...

_Two young boys, one with blonde hair and the other with red, sat on the swings on the park. The blonde was a bit older, and seemed a bit confused._

_"I don't understand, Aer...What do you mean by that?" the young Finn asked, blue eyes looking at his best friend._

_"Since dad's dead...I'm being sent to live with my aunt...I don't know if I'll ever come back to Atmosia again..." Aerrow said, looking at the ground as he swung sadly back and forth._

_"Sure you will!" Finn exclaimed suddenly, nearly scaring the red-head out of his swing._

_"How do you know that?" Aerrow questioned._

_"First off, you said you were gonna be a Sky Knight someday, and to do that, you need to come to the Sky Knight Academy here on Atmosia! Secondly, you said I'd be on your squadron, so you'd HAVE to come back for me." the blonde said. Aerrow smiled._

_"Yeah...you're right, Finn." Aerrow said, smiling a little now._

_"Hey, it's getting pretty late, Aer...We should probably head out, ne?" Finn asked, looking at the setting sun._

_"More than likely. Well...until I come back, good bye, Finn." Aerrow said, high-fiving his friend before running off..._

The flashback ended, and Finn had slight tears in his eyes.

"If only I'd known then what would happen..." he said. He was about to say more, if they hadn't heard humming from over at the swingset. Looking over, they all tensed - Dawne was sitting on one of the swings, her teddy bear on her lap. But something seemed different about her now - she looked a bit older, and the bear looked slightly more worn out.

"Finn...You recognize this place..." Dawne said, her voice soft. Her violet eyes looked over at the group. Finn nodded, hesitantly walking closer to the girl. "Do you also recognize _him_?" she asked, holding the bear out. The knife sewed to it's hand disappeared, and it looked like it was brand new, not like it had been sewn back together multiple times.

"That's..." Finn didn't finish his sentence.

"You're right...This is the bear Aerrow always had...The last gift he ever got from his mom, five years before his father was killed...You recognize it, because you've seen it before...Mostly because he left it at your home, with a note..."

"The note said "This is my promise I'll come back," and when he did..." Finn trailed off.

"The bear was forgotten...As Aerrow had been by so many others...His memory was also altered - the pain of being beaten by his aunt...By closing off his heart, his emotions, his memories...He never felt the pain...If he didn't feel anything, surely the beatings wouldn't hurt." Dawne said. The other Storm Hawks were a bit surprised at all this - never once did they ever think Aerrow and Finn shared this close a bond, even if it was a tragic one...

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MJ: Looks like Dawne has more to her than one would think...Anyway, tell me what you think!!!


	7. Chapter 6

MJ: Alright, sixth chapter! Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: (sighs) Read the others.

Chapter Six: A VERY Unexpected Ally

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Everyone was still quite nervous around Dawne, and who wouldn't be after what she did at their first meeting? Finn, however, didn't seem to notice that she had, by this point, stood up.

"Things are being set in motion...You are the only ones who can help us..." Dawne said, her silver hair blowing in a non-existent breeze. "The one you seek needs you, more so than ever..."

"Aerrow?! Where is he?!" Piper asked frantically, hoping it would be useful information and not some weird trip through a vortex. A sudden shift in the environment made all of them nearly fall - the ground shuddered, the playground seemed to fizzle as if made of static, and a sudden chill filled the air.

"No...He musn't give in to this..." Dawne muttered, looking at the twin moons, which seemed to be slowly merging together. "When the moons shine brightest, all time is lost..."

"What?" Junko asked, very confused now.

"This reality is being shifted, destroyed..." came a voice from behind them. Turning around, they found Sarah standing there. "Aerrow's mind cannot sustain this dimension you currently travel in. If you do not hurry, then you, along with this entire reality, will be ravaged, destroyed..."

"But...why?" Finn asked softly, looking at Sarah.

"That is the problem with this place, this World Between...If the mind of a person is filled with happy, light memories, and very few sorrowful ones, then they do not fall to the curse of this world..." Sarah started.

"Those travelling through to find somebody are not affected, though..." Dawne said, giggling a bit after (which freaked the Storm Hawks out a bit more.)

"However...As I'm sure you have witnessed already, Aerrow's subconscious is not a pleasant one...And that is the kind _they_ go after..." Sarah finished, closing her eyes.

"They?" Stork asked, suddenly very, very afraid.

"The beings who are considered the curse of this realm...The Shades..." came Rhiannon's voice. She walked up behind Sarah.

"Why are you here, Rhiannon?" Sarah questioned.

"The shift affected the forest...The creatures within are fading like crazy..." the cat-girl said, her face showing apprehension.

"Wait...Why are the Shades going after Aerrow?!" Finn demanded.

"If you do not find him soon...Aerrow will become a Shade, and all of you will be trapped in this realm." Dawne replied. A silence fell over the group, but it was short lived, as another tremor ran through the area...

--With Aerrow--

Autumn sighed, watching the young teen with crimson eyes. He was currently floating in a tube of liquid, and multiple machines were trying to stablize him. She had to keep him from becoming a Shade, and hopefully this would work.

/Autumn, how is he?/ Karen's voice said.

"Not too well...Meryl just reported tremors near the Cursed Forest...and many of the creatures are disappearing rapidly...I've sent Nicolas to meet his friends halfway, and bring them the rest of the way through a portal..." Autumn said, looking over at Aerrow - his peaceful face betrayed what was currently going on to him.

/Damn...If I had known about his past, perhaps we could've done something.../ Karen sighed.

"Karen, you followed what the spirits told you to...What _WE_ told you to...We knew nothing of his past, either...We are all to blame for this..." Autumn stated softly, resting her hand on the glass. "We can now only rely on his friends..."

--With everyone else--

"Aerrow's...becoming a Shade?" Piper asked softly, orange eyes wide in disbelief. All three residents of the World Between nodded solemnly, another tremor occuring through the area. Suddenly, the playground began shifting, phasing in and out.

"This place is falling apart!!" Rhiannon cried out, pointing at the oncoming cracks in the ground. Chunks of earth fell into an abyss, and if nothing was done, everyone there would follow.

"Everybody, get close to me!!" Sarah shouted, and everyone quickly obeyed. She slowly floated in the air, her body glowing. Bringing her scythe up, the glow surrounded the group.

"DIMENSION RIFT!!!" Sarah shouted, and a bright flash of light blinded everyone. When it faded, they all found they were no longer at the playground, but just inside the gates of a graveyard...

-- --

MJ: Again with the cliff hangers!!! And, now, I have a question for my readers - see, I've recently gotten an odd crossover idea for Storm Hawks...And I want your opinion. I want to know if you all want a Sailor Moon crossover with Storm Hawks. Give me your reply, and if I get enough, I might start typing it up! Thanks!!


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